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Tips For Being Successful

A career as a professional Firefighter/Paramedic or Firefighter/EMT with Klamath County Fire District No. 1 is an excellent career choice for those who like being outside, are not afraid of physical activity and working conditions that can be somewhat exciting.

You must be the best!
There are many applicants for each entry Firefighter/Paramedic or Firefighter/EMT position. To be the best, we recommend...

Get your High School diploma. While in school, consider doing your senior project on a fire related subject. Fire District No. 1 can help you. Contact our business office at 541-885-2056 for more information.

Remain healthy by performing strength, flexibility, and endurance exercises. If you are hired at Fire District No. 1, you will be encouraged to stay fit by using our exercise equipment and peer fitness trainers at the station.

Get experience as a Firefighter. You can get experience by volunteering, many people who volunteer, realize that this is not the best choice for their future. You can become a volunteer Firefighter at 16 and certified at age 18. Fire District No. 1 does not currently offer volunteer positions but if you live in the Klamath area, contact Fire District No. 4 at 541-884-1670.

Become certified as a Firefighter. As a volunteer for a fire agency in Oregon, you can be certified through the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). The DPSST is the state accreditation body that offers certification for agency personnel in Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2, Hazardous Materials Operations, Wildland Interface FF, Fire Apparatus Driver, Mobile Water Supply Operator, and Wildland Fire Operator and others.

Become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or Paramedic. There are three different EMT certification levels, EMT-Basic; EMT-Intermediate and EMT-Paramedic. Klamath County Fire District No. 1 will vary in the hiring of Paramedics or Basic EMT's, if you are interested in a career at Fire District No. 1 contact us to see which group we plan to hire next. Fire District No. 1 does not teach EMT classes, EMT certifications are offered through the Oregon Community College system. If you live in the Klamath area and want to learn more about EMT programs contact Klamath Community College (KCC) and ask for the EMT department.

Build your resume’. If at all possible, get a job in a related field until you can get hired with the Fire District. There are jobs such as Emergency Department Tech at Sky Lakes Medical Center, seasonal firefighter for the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Forest Service and BLM. Do not be afraid of physical jobs in the construction field. These jobs can teach work ethics and increase your skills and knowledge of building construction which is very useful to a firefighter. Meanwhile keep taking classes and acquiring fire related certificates.

Earn a College Degree. There are associate degrees offered for Fire Science and/or Paramedic Medicine. These cannot be received locally at KCC, but are offered at Rogue Community College in Medford, Central Oregon Community College in Bend or other colleges with a Fire or EMS program. For many years, Chemeketa Community College in Salem has offered the premier fire and EMS degree program in the state of Oregon.

Test for Firefighter positions. If you see a job posting for a Firefighter and you are qualified then you should test. Don’t let your first test be at the agency where you really want to work. By the time your “choice agency” does test, you should be experienced in the ways of testing. Contact Departments or go on-line or watch newspapers like The Oregonian for job announcements, even if it is just for a position on a list with no hiring expected…test.